Reconceptualizing mind wandering from a switching perspective

Abstract

Mind wandering is a universal phenomenon in which our attention shifts away from the task at hand toward task-unrelated thoughts. Despite it inherently involving a shift in mental set, little is known about the role of cognitive flexibility in mind wandering. In this article we consider the potential of cognitive flexibility as a mechanism for mediating and/or regulating the occurrence of mind wandering. Our review begins with a brief introduction to the prominent theories of mind wandering-the executive failure hypothesis, the decoupling hypothesis, the process-occurrence framework, and the resource-control account of sustained attention. Then, after discussing their respective merits and weaknesses, we put forward a new perspective of mind wandering focused on cognitive flexibility, which provides an account more in line with the data to date, including why older populations experience a reduction in mind wandering. After summarizing initial evidence prompting this new perspective, drawn from several mind-wandering and task-switching studies, we recommend avenues for future research aimed at further understanding the importance of cognitive flexibility in mind wandering.

Fig. 1

Conceptual framework for viewing mind wandering from a switching perspective. Maintenance of both primary task and mind-wandering mental sets occur in working memory. Each change of mental set requires inhibition of the previously relevant mental set. Grey area represents the time in which primary task performance costs arise

Fig. 2

Summary of results gathered from several mind-wandering, working memory, and task-switching studies. AD Alzheimer’s disease, PD Parkinson’s disease, aMCI amnestic mild cognitive impairment, WMC working memory capacity. Red circle represents poorer performance and green circle represents better performance, relative to the comparison group. White thought bubble cloud represents mind-wandering frequency, with fewer clouds representing less frequent occurrences of mind wandering, relative to the comparison group